Carcase, favorably furniture-carcase

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns to a carcase or framework, particularly for furniture. It has columns, interconnecting pieces attached to them and clamps joining the columns and interconnecting pieces. Essentially, the columns consist of parallel column members attached to each other. At least at two places--favorably at the ends of the column members--they are attached to each other by means of a coupling member overlapping two column members and/or intermediate interconnecting piece joining two columns via two releasable clamps. Each column member is clamped to the coupling member and/or the interconnecting piece. The carcase has interconnecting pieces which join the column members. They have sections dimensioned to the drift holes made by the notches on the facing surfaces of two column members. Adjacent these drift holes the interconnecting pieces have shoulders, edges or similar configurations which are supported by the column surfaces and which prevent displacement relative to the columns. The essence of the invention is that minimum expenditure of labor, material and energy provides furniture of high aesthetic level and use value. They are available to the customers in unit packets. The customer can assemble it himself without using any special tools or professional skill. The requirements for storage and transport is minimum. Due to the releasable attachments, the piece of furniture can be disassembled and no glue application to tapestry or mechanical clamping is required so that it can be easily removed and replaced in case of cleaning or substitution.

The invention refers to a carcase, especially a furniture carcase orframework which has columns, interconnecting pieces attached to them andclamps connecting the columns to the interconnecting pieces.

It is well-known that pieces of furniture are made of differentmaterials, such as metal, plastic or commonly of wood. The differentelements of furniture, made of wood, e.g. legs and backs of sittingfurniture, panel fillings of cupboards, etc. are connected to each othermainly by permanent rigid, non-releasable joints, which can be detachedonly by destruction, because no rigid carcase can be made safely byapplying present fastenings. E.g. a nut and bolt--breech block joining.Also such fasteners in practice are unacceptable in furniture productionfrom the point of view of aesthetics, and if released result incollapsing of the building members.

The generally used scarf-glued joints provide a stiff connection betweenthe building members unless they have not been used for a very longtime, or under extreme loading when they are broken or torn at the gluedsite. It is difficult to mend them, and usually the entire piece offurniture is no longer serviceable.

Metal or plastic auxiliary members, e.g. wood screws, washers, tieplates, lag bolts, carriage bolts, etc., can be applied to joiningwooden building members. Such stiff, practically unreleasable jointshave the disadvantage that metal fastenings seize in the wood, jointsbecome unaesthetic and are soon destroyed. Present-day furniture,especially sitting furniture, has some disadvantages, namely that muchwork and energy is needed for its production which is time consuming. Adisproportionately large storage and delivery capacity is needed, ascompared to the value and actual quantity of the objects, because thecupboards, sitting furniture and all pieces of furniture are bulky. Itis difficult to place big pieces of furniture, e.g. carry them throughnarrow doorways, and often professional cleaning and mending is neededas a consequence of damage occurring in transportion.

The invention aims at providing a carcase, particularly a furniturecarcase which has releasable and refixable points of connection so thatthe carcase can be rapidly and easily assembled and disassembled. At thesame time the carcase is perfectly stiff and its members do not collapseeven under extreme conditions or extended use. The carcase should alsocomply with the high level aesthetic requirements of furnitureproduction.

The invention provides a carcase, comprising columns, interconnectingpieces attached thereto and clamps for joining the columns andinterconnecting pieces together, characterized in that each columnconsists of two column members attached to each other in parallelrelationship, such attachment being formed in at least in two spacedregions in the column members by means of respective coupling membersoverlapping both column members by pairs of releasable clamps in such away that each column member is clamped to the coupling member, saidinterconnecting pieces comprising respective sections fitting in driftholes defined by notches in the mutually facing surface of the opposingcolumn members, wherein in the region of said drift holes theinterconnecting pieces have shoulders, edges or similar configurationswhich are supported by the column surfaces to prevent theinterconnecting pieces being displaced relative to the columns. Thecarcase has easily releasable joints. It is perfectly stiff and providesperfect protection against collapsing.

On the basis of this recognition the invention aimed at constructingsuch a carcase which has columns, interconnecting pieces, attached tothem, as well as clamping members connecting the columns to thefastenings. Essentially, the columns are made of two joined parallelmembers. Both columns members are joined at least at two locations,favourably at the ends, by applying another interconnecting piece tojoin the columns with at least two releasable fasteners or clamps. Bothcolumn members are joined to the interconnecting piece. The carcase hassuch interconnecting pieces which have sections attached to drift holesformed by notches in the opposed surfaces of the two column members. Theinterconnecting pieces at the drift holes, have shoulders, edges orsimilar figures, supported by the column surfaces which prevent theirdisplacement relative to the columns. The releasable clamps arepreferably threaded shanks passing through aligned holes and secured bynuts. They are applied to join the column members by the interconnectingpieces and/or clamps.

In one favourable embodiment of the carcase, the column members,interconnecting pieces and the clamps are oblong-like, of a widthgreater than their thickness and length greater than their width.Expediently, the centres of the hole are on the longitudinal geometricalaxis of the carcase members. Their diameter is bigger than that of thethreaded shanks and less than that of the nuts. Favourably, the holediameters correspond to those of the screw shanks.

According to another embodiment the holes are located inwardly from theends of the members, by half of the member's width. It is alsofavourable if the length of the interconnecting pieces is double theirwidth and if the column members have intermediate through holes.

Another embodiment is characterized as having notches on at least oneside surface of the column members, expediently near the ends of thecolumn members. They create through drift holes when the column membersare joined side by side. Favourably the notches are rectangular-like.The length of the notches is bigger than their depth. Expediently, thedepth is equal to half of the column member's thickness or the depth ofthe notches is bigger than their length. Favourably, its length is equalto the thickness. Naturally, there can be other notch configurations,too. In another embodiment, there are notches in the column members nearto each other which are long but not too deep, and some others which arenot so long but deep.

Another favourable embodiment is characterized in having at least oneinterconnecting piece which joins two slab-shaped columnsperpendicularly to the larger side surfaces. Near its ends it hasnotches in the narrow sides opposite to each other, defining collarsadjusted to the through drift holes of the columns, as well as headsoutside the columns' sides. Expediently, the width of the notches mustbe the same as the thickness or very similar to it, and the planes nearto the member's ends are within a distance which is not bigger than halfof its width. The width of the collars must be equal to the longer sideof the columns' oblong drift holes.

According to another embodiment, the carcase has at least oneinterconnecting piece which joins two slab-shaped columns in a planeparallel with their larger surfaces. Near its ends it has two throughholes. The one nearer to the end is at a distance equal to half of themember's width. Other holes are at a distance from the external holesequal to the width of the member. From aesthetical point of view, thecarcase seems to be favourable if the slab-shaped, expediently oblongcarcase members' ends are rounded-off. Favourably, the round-off endsare semi-circular, and the radius of the semi-circle is equal to thehalf of the width of the carcase members.

The invention is described in greater detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. They include some pieces of furniture, made byapplying the carcase, and preferred embodiments of the points ofjunction and those of the carcase.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the profile of two column members;

FIG. 3 shows the profile of the interconnecting pieces made of thecolumn members, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which can be applied to thecolumns without any clamp;

FIG. 4 shows the profile of an interconnecting piece;

FIG. 5 shows such an interconnecting piece which can be attached to thecolumns by releasable clamps externally; they are made of the columnmembers, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 show other embodiments of column members;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the profile of embodiments of clamps;

FIG. 10a shows the upper end of two column members, of the kind shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, positioned side by side;

FIG. 10b shows the upper end of the column members of FIGS. 6 and 7positioned side by side;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section on the line A--A in FIG. 2 of the carcaseof an armchair, made of members shown in FIGS. 1-10b;

FIG. 12 is a horizontal section on the line B--B indicated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a vertical section on the line C--C indicated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a joint, to which two cross sections ofthe same direction, perpendicular to one another are attached;

FIG. 15 shows a joint, similar to the one shown in FIG. 14, but insteadof the third cross member the column members are joined by a couplingmember;

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the side view of the column members, used in thejoint shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the armchair shown in FIGS. 11-13;

FIG. 19 shows a smoking table; and

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a small seat.

The carcase members shown in FIGS. 1-7 are all made of wood. The columnmembers 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are oblong, slab-shaped bodies, e.g.their length 1 is 90 cm, width s is 7 cm, thickness v is 16 cm. Theirends are rounded-off semi-circularly at 2. In the centre of theround-offs there are holes 3 with a diameter of D. Their centres are atdistance r from the ends, on the geometrical longitudinal axis x of themembers. On the same axis there are further through holes 4 near thelower end of the column members 1. The radius of the round-off r equalswith half of the width s.

In the upper and lower ends of the column members 1 there are notches 5on one of the longitudinal sides. The length of notch 5 is s, and itsdepth is v/2--where v is the thickness of the members. The notches 5 areat a distance b from the ends, and the geometric dimensions are chosenso that b>a.

When the column members 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are closely attached toeach other in such a way that their notches 5 could face each other, twoconfronting notches 5 will form a through drift hole 9 as can be seen inFIG. 10a. The height of the drift hole 9 is a, width v and depth v. Twocolumn members 1 placed side by side will form a column 6 (FIG. 10a).Two column members 1 of each column 6 are attached to each other by thecoupling members 7 (shown in FIG. 4) of length 2s, and width s. Thereare two holes 3 in the geometrical longitudinal axis x, which are at adistance s/2=r from the round-off ends of the member 7 and at thedistance s from each other. The appropriate geometrical relationship anddimensions have already been given in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2. When acoupling member 7 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the upper ends of theside by side column members 1 shown in FIG. 10a the releasable clampsare passed through the aligned holes 3 and a similar connection isestablished between the lower ends of the column members 1, to form aperfectly stiff column 6 from the column members 1 connected to eachother at two points. (See the description in connection with FIGS.11-13, too.) A fastener or clamp can be a device made of a wooden bolt11 and a nut 12 as shown in FIG. 8, or of a threaded pin 13 and nuts 12as shown in FIG. 9. Their length a, the diameters of shanks and holes dare chosen according to the geometric relationships of the above detailsand the difference between d and D is minimal but sufficient to allowthe threaded shanks 11, 13 to be passed through the holes 3.

The column members 14 seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 differ from the ones shownin FIGS. 1 and 2, as they are shorter, and the shapes of notches 15 intheir upper ends differs from that of the notches 5. However, thesimilar structural members and dimensions have been marked withreference numbers and letters as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The width ofnotch 15 is v, depth is o, b<s/2. The width v is chosen so that aslab-shaped member can be put into the drift hole 16 created by twonotches 15, (see FIG. 10b). By attaching two column members 17 side byside, as shown in FIG. 10b and joining them with coupling members 7(FIG. 4) and clamps as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a stiff column 17 isobtained, (see FIGS. 11-13).

Two columns 6 and 17 which are placed at a distance from each other, canbe joined by the interconnecting pieces 8 shown in FIG. 3 and/or byinterconnecting pieces 18 shown in FIG. 5. The pieces 8 and 18 arerod-like plate members whose width and thickness are the same as thoseof the column member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The geometricaldimensions are marked with reference letters. The interconnecting piece8 shown in FIG. 3, which provides a rigid coupling perpendicularly tothe slab-shaped plane of the column 6 between columns at a distance fromeach other. It is provided with notches 10 of width v at its ends. Thewidth of collar 8b is equal to the height of the drift hole 9 shown inFIG. 10a. The coupling member 8 at the ends has heads 8a of width s. Ifthe collar 8b of the member 8 is adjusted to the dimension drift hole 9of the columns 6 and then the neighbouring column members 1 are joinedas previously described (FIG. 10a) by means of clamps 11 and 12 therewill be a perfectly safe clamp between the column members 1 and theinterconnecting piece 8, i.e. a rigid "dry" coupling widthout theapplication of glue. The bolts 11, 13 provide perfect protection againstcollapsing. The shoulders of the drift holes 10 supported by theexternal planes of the column 6 protect the interconnection piece 8 fromlongitudinal displacement.

A two-pointed, safe connection can be obtained by applying aninterconnecting piece 18 shown in FIG. 5, which provides a rigidcoupling parallel with a slab-shaped plane of the columns 6, between thetwo columns which are at a distance from each other. Thisinterconnecting piece 18 is also slab-shaped, of width s and thicknessv, and as long as is required by the carcase. There are two throughholes 3 of diameter D near the ends of the piece 18 on the geometriclongitudinal axis x. The holes 3 of each pair are at a distance s fromeach other, the outermost ones being at a distance 20 cm=r from therounded-off ends. The spacing of the holes is the centre-to-centrespacing. Where the interconnecting piece 18 is applied in joining twospaced slab-shaped columns, (FIG. 10a) or the columns 17 (FIG. 11) attheir upper and/or lower ends, use of the coupling member 7 as shown inFIG. 4 is unnecessary as the ends of the interconnecting piece 18fulfill the role of the coupling member 7 (i.e. fixing at two points)perfectly on insertion of the coupling members 12, 11 or 13, 12 as shownin FIGS. 8 and 9. The slab-shaped interconnecting piece 8 is adjusted tothe drift hole 9 of the column 6 set on edge, as shown in FIG. 10a. Itsplane is perpendicular. The interconnecting piece 8 is adjusted to adrift hole 16 of the column 17 as shown in FIG. 10b, so that its planeis horizontal in the carcase. Naturally, in the former case theinterconnecting piece has a bigger load capacity. The position of theinterconnecting piece 8 in the carcase is decided by the conditions ofapplication. Statistical, aesthetical and functional aspects also exerttheir influence on it.

An armchair carcase is shown in FIGS. 11-13, made from the members asshown in FIGS. 1-10b. The armchair has two columns 6 (FIG. 10a) and twocolumns 17 (FIG. 10b) forming the legs of the armchair. The uppersections of the columns 6 are the vertical supports of the back. Theshorter front columns 17 and the longer rear columns 6 are joined by twointerconnecting pieces 18. They are always fixed by four clamp sets 11,12 as shown in FIG. 12 (two-point clamping). The upper interconnectingpieces 18 serve as the elbow-rests of the armchair, the lower one is astiffener support--e.g. for the seating cushion. The lower section 14 ofthe columns 17 and the upper and lower sections of the columns 6 arefixed by the coupling members 7 and clamps 11, 12.

Transverse joining of the columns 6, 17, perpendicular to the plane ofFIG. 11 is done by two interconnecting pieces 8 (FIG. 3). The frontupper interconnecting piece is horizontal, the other three are vertical.This carcase can be rapidly assembled and disassembled without specialtools or professional skill. Only the nuts 12 must be screwed orunscrewed on the bolts 11. The cushion of the chair can be supported bya web of canvas with folded and sewn edges. The web can be strungbetween the front lower and rear upper spread bars 8. They are fixed inthe points of function. The supporting canvas web can be attached to thecarcase without glue or interconnecting pieces. It can be pulled off thecarcase simply by releasing the clamps at the points of junction. Thecanvas web can be tightened additionally so as to support the sittingcushion. Naturally, the web itself of linen or leather can serve asaccessories to the furniture.

FIG. 14 shows such a joint which includes the carcase members shown inFIGS. 1-10, with the difference that at the ends of the column members19 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 there are adjacent notches 5, 15 whichare identical with the notches 5, 15 of the column members 14. Thisgeometrical form of the column member allows that two interconnectingpieces 8 to be attached to the end of column 20 shown in FIG. 14, one ofwhich--the upper one--has a horizontal plane, and the other--the lowerone--has a vertical plane. An interconnecting piece 18 is also attachedto the joint and functions as an auxiliary for the two-point clamping ofthe column members 19. The interconnecting piece 18 is perpendicular tothe interconnecting pieces 8. The joint, the positioning, and therectangular retentivity can be provided by accurate wood processing.Protection from sliding, and joining of bars starting from the joint inthree directions are provided by the releasable clamps 11, 12 alone. Thecollaboration of members, and the perfect stiffening of the carcase areprovided by the interconnecting piece 18 fixed in two points andadjusted overlappingly. As the loads occurring are taken up in shear,stability is properly provided.

The joint shown in FIG. 15 differs from the one shown in FIG. 14 becausethe interconnecting pieces 8 are nearer to each other, and in accordancewith this the notches 5, 15 of the column members 19, and the rigid,two-point junction of the column member 19 is provided by the couplingmember 7 shown in FIG. 5. Two-point junctions of the joints shown inFIGS. 14 and 15 are provided by clamps 11, 12 as shown in FIG. 8.

Two interconnecting pieces 8 are applied to a carcase under heavy loadand of larger span as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. Their application can beaccounted for by applicational-aesthetical reasons, too.

Other advantages of the invention are as follows:

It is not necessary to mount and clamp the carcase member (tap, glue,screw, process, thread-cut, etc.) in the factory. Expenditure of tools,labour and material is much less. The carcase members for a furnitureset can be gathered into a solid, small sized pocket. There is lessspace required for storage and transport, in comparison to traditionalpieces of furniture. From a statistical point of view the carcase needsno plate members as are usually required for stiffening load bearingfunctions in present day furniture systems. They can however be appliedas auxiliary interlocks or additional pieces, e.g. in tables, shelves,cupboards, etc. No professional skill is needed for assembly either. Acustomer can mount the carcase from the members of the unit packet inlittle time without specialized tools. No breaking or seizing of thejoints occur, even under extreme conditions of application, in contrastwith experience in the use of metal clamps. Wooden clamps (threadedpins) are able to take elastic deformation. Wood cracking indicates highload before breaking. The two-point clamping joints are so stable thatthe increase in furniture dimensions or span only require increasedlength of carcase members. Bridging of a larger span can be provided byadding accessory interconnection pieces (preferably set on edge) seeFIGS. 14 and 15. They are highly important. If a piece of furniture isto be moved it can be disassembled very rapidly and transported as apacket. Textile, leather, etc. accessories need not be nailed or glued,but can be easily attached to the carcase members. The furniture doesnot require any permanently attached upholstery. Where necessary theupholstery can be removed e.g. in for cleaning or changed. According tothe tastes and financial means of the customers different needs can bemet. The joints due to their rapid releasibility and construction allowfurther building and transformation e.g. by applying some auxiliarymembers an armchair can be transformed into a table, etc. so that theflexibility of the set of furniture can be increased. As a result ofthese factors, the novel furniture is much more economical and lessexpensive than the traditional ones, its use value is higher, and theaesthetic level--because of the rustic form, simple design, etc.--isalso high.

Naturally, the invention is confined neither to the building styles orembodiments described above nor to the specific form of the carcasemembers, forms, clamps, etc. but it can be carried out within the scopeas defined by the claims. Beyond doubt the application of lumber carcasemembers and clamps seems to be the most expedient from the point of viewof aesthetics and utilization, but other members, made of materialsother than wood e.g. plastic an also be used. Instead of the oblong,slab-shaped column members with rounded-off ends and coupling members,carcase can be made from bar-like members of different cross-sectionsand shapes; bar cross sections can be rectangular, e.g. square, and tabsof other bars can be adjusted to their drift holes. It goes withoutsaying that the members can differ from each other in length, width,thickness, shape, number of holes, etc. The clamps need not always bethreaded shanks and nuts, and in certain cases clamping can be providedby keys or cotter pins, too.

I claim:
 1. A furniture framework comprising:column members constitutingelongated flat bars having narrow sides, two end regions, and whereineach of said column members has notches within a narrow side thereofremote from said end regions; columns formed by respective pairs of saidcolumn members attached to each other in a narrow side-by-sidearrangement, each of said column members including respective throughholes normal to flat faces thereof in at least said two end regions;coupling members constituting elongated flat bars extending normal tosaid pairs of column members and overlapping said end regions, saidcoupling members having respective through holes; releasable clampsinsertably carried by said through holes of said coupling members andsaid column members, whereby said pairs of column members are connectedtogether in both end regions in said side-by-side arrangement, saidcolumns comprising drift holes defined by said notches in the mutuallyfacing narrow sides of opposing column members, said drift holes beingarranged inwardly from and in proximity to said clamp connection of saidcolumn members; and interconnecting pieces constituting flat bars forinterconnecting respective pairs of said columns, said interconnectingpieces comprising respective neck portions of said flat bars fittingsaid drift holes, whereby said columns engage and hold saidinterconnecting pieces.
 2. The framework as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid through holes are arranged in the axis of symmetry of said columnmembers and coupling members.
 3. The framework as claimed in claim 2,wherein said column members, said coupling members and saidinterconnecting pieces constitute flat bars having a common width andthickness.
 4. The framework as claimed in claim 3, wherein said columnmembers, said coupling members and said interconnecting pieces haverounded ends.
 5. The framework as claimed in claim 3, wherein saidthrough holes are arranged at a distance from the ends of said memberscorrespond substantially to the half-width of the members.
 6. Theframework as claimed in claim 1, wherein said notches and said neckportions have oblong-like rectangular profiles.
 7. The framework asclaimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of interconnecting pieces arearranged in proximity to an end region of a column including at leastone of said interconnecting pieces extending parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the column members and at least one other of saidinterconnecting pieces extending normal thereto.
 8. The framework asclamed in claim 1, further comprising additional coupling members eachhaving respective pairs of said through holes in two end portions, saidcolumns further including pairs of through holes remote from the endportions and said further coupling members interconnecting pairs of saidcolumns by clamps inserted in respective pairs of further through holesand providing further coupling between the coupling members in each ofsaid columns.
 9. The framework as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidclamps are threaded bolts and nuts.